Description
Book Synopsis"A must for anyone interested in the Roman Empire and its impact on world history. " -Tony Robinson star of Blackadder and Time Team. This entertaining and informative guide introduces readers to the amazing world of ancient Rome and its emperors, epic wars, awesome architecture, heroes, and villains.
Table of ContentsIntroduction 1
Part I: Romans – The Big Boys of the Ancient World 7
Chapter 1: The Romans: Shaping Their World and Ours 9
Chapter 2: It’s the Cash That Counts: Roman Social Classes 29
Chapter 3: Stairway to the Stars: The Greasy Path to Power 47
Chapter 4: Rural Bliss – Roman Dreamland 61
Chapter 5: When We Were Soldiers 71
Part II: Living the Good Life 87
Chapter 6: The Urban Jungle 89
Chapter 7: Making the Roman Machine Work 103
Chapter 8: Entertainments: Epic and Domestic 121
Chapter 9: Divine Intervention 143
Part III: The Rise of Rome 165
Chapter 10: Kings? No, Maybe Not – Republicans 167
Chapter 11: This Town Isn’t Big Enough for All of Us – Seizing Italy 185
Chapter 12: Carthage and the First Two Punic Wars 199
Chapter 13: While We’re at It – Let’s Conquer Everywhere Else, Too 215
Part IV: When Romans Ruled the World 225
Chapter 14: Reform and Civil War 227
Chapter 15: Daggers Drawn – The Fall of the Republic 255
Chapter 16: Augustus and the Caesars – Plots, Perverts, and Paranoia 271
Chapter 17: The Five Good Emperors 303
Part V: Throwing the Empire Away 317
Chapter 18: More Civil War, Auctioning the Empire, and Paranoid Lunatics 319
Chapter 19: The Age of the Thug – The Third Century’s Soldier Emperors 331
Chapter 20: East Is East and West Is West: Diocletian and Constantine 347
Chapter 21: The Barbarians Are Coming! The End of Rome 369
Part VI: The Part of Tens 389
Chapter 22: Ten Turning Points in Roman History 391
Chapter 23: Ten Interesting and Occasionally Good Romans 395
Chapter 24: Ten (Mostly) Bad Romans 401
Chapter 25: Ten of Rome’s Greatest Enemies 407
Chapter 26: Ten (or So) Great Roman Places to Visit 413
Index 419
